Improvement in the manufacture of paper-pulp



aura %iair5 pried cam CHARLES B. SAWYER, or FITOHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS,Assreuon, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WILLIAM PRATT AND ABBY A. WILLIAMS.

Letters Patent, No. 109,766, dated November 29, 1850'.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that .1, CHARLES E. Sawvnn, of Fitchburg, in the county ofI/Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have made certain discoveriesand inventions in the Manufacture of Pulp, such as is used in themanufacture of paper, and other articles of like nature for whichpaper-pulp'is ordinarily used; and in order that others may understandthe nature of my invent-ion I give the ollowing description of the same.I l

As no drawings are necessary to illustrate this, I proceed to say that Ihave discovered from actual experiment that the tops or vines of thecommon potato, when properly treated, are capable offuruishing a muchmore tenacious fiber, and a-pulp that will make a. stronger paper,cardfor pasteboard, and at a much cheaper rate than can be. made fromthe pulp of'wood, straw, or grass, and such like substances as havehitherto been used for making paperpulp.

Again, I have found thatthe'addition of the po-' into itself in smallquantities to the vines, while in process of preparation, adds strengthto the fiber and increases the solidity and glassiness' of surface whenused for card or box-boards.

Ihave found, also, that the addition of one-fourth or one-third of mypeculiar pulp to that obtained from wood and other; vegetable substancesma-l terially increases the strength of these when made into paper andother'like articles of manufacture.-

The potato-vine contains within itself a glutinous matter not furnisliedby other vegetable substances which have been before applied'topapermaking, and the vine is much more easily re-- duced to a stringypulp; that is, the same amount of beating or grinding will ,reducefit tothe consistency necessary for the formation of=paperwithout cutting thelibers'hort, and improving its strength.

I have found, also, that where my paper has been made into paper thereis less sizing required to make a good and merchantable paper than inthe use,of ordinary stock. T

The vines are first cut into convenient lengths by being fed into theordinary stock-cutting machine, say from two to live inches in length. 7

They are then rinsed either in warm or cold water to free them from gritor dust, and are then boiled in water from four to six hours, accordingto the quantity of the pulp to be made, a-longer boiling being needfulwhen the pulp is to be made into books or newspapers than for wrappingand boxboards.

The vines are thendrained in the tank, and alterbox-board and such likegoods, nothing further is ne-. cessary.

Where atougher paper'or stronger board is used, I add to the vines,while being beaten, about onehalf bushel of raw potatoes to the 13011o'fvines, the starchy matter of the tuber'is eliminated and mixes withthe pulp, rendering it stronger.

Where a finer stock is required, as for printingpaper-and card-board, Iadd one or one and a halt bushel of potatoes to'the ton of vines, notconfining myself, however. to these exact quantities, but varyingthernin accordance with the results which I wish toproduce. r \Vhcn the pulpis to be made into the wrappingspapel' or coarse box-boards, bleachingis necessary; but where a whiter product. is required, I bleach the pulpin thefirst period of its preparation.

I have-found from experience'thatthe ordina- 1" process of bleachingother stocks does not answer for pulp made from vines, but as mypeculiar process of bleaching will form the application foranotherpatent, I do not further allude to it here. The specimens whichaccompany this specificatibn are marked as follows:

Specimen A is a piece of the pulp before it is ground fine enough forworking into paper. I

Specimen B is a piece of wrapping-paper madefrom-this stock withoutadmixture of other stock or of the potato itself.

Specimen O is a piece of pulp ground fine, and which also has beenpartially blacked. This also is pure vine-pulp.-

Iam aware that paper-pulp has beenmade' from straw, grass, wood, reeds,and some other vegetable substances, but I know of no vegetablesubstance which furnishes so.strong a fiber in the pulp, and with solittle cost either in crude material, or with solit-tle expense inpreparation, as the pulp which I makefrom the potato-vine.

"Therefore, while I do 'not claim broadly the use of raw vegetablematerial," nor either of them to which I have 'above'alluded,

What I do claim asvnew, and desire-to secure by Letters '-Patent, is--a 1. The vine of the potatoe, for the manufacture of pulp for paper andother like articles, as pasteboard and papier-mache.

2. The tuber itself incombination with thc-po-.

Witnesses:

T, A. CURTIS, Onennuon BUCK-LAND.

